Other reporters witnessed Carleton going red in the face, walking a short distance then collapsing to the ground. A few minutes earlier Carleton asked Beaconsfield Mine Manager Matthew Gill about the safety of the mine.

Ambulance officers worked to revive Carleton for over 25 minutes, before he was rushed to hospital. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Launceston hospital.

Carleton had a history of heart problems, which includes a heart attack in 2003 and a bypass operation in 1988. He was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2005.

This audio file was created from the text revision dated 2006-05-07 and may not reflect subsequent text edits to this report. (audio help)